July 22, 2009 by KellyH.

Oh, how I miss those days of teaching! My youngest is going to be 9 next month… 4th grade in September. He still loves to do the hands-on stuff, but it’s just not the same. With toddlers and preschoolers, everything is new, everything is “wow!” and every lesson takes lots of body movement to complete. As they age, the movements get refined until it is just their hands moving a pen across the paper, or clicking the mouse button on the computer.

Planning for the earliest years was quite easy– anything that took us outside was a successful day of schooling!

When my oldest was in 1st grade, his brother was in K4. They were both thrilled to do science because it usually meant going outside. When I was teaching grades 5 & 3, I added in another boy in K. It was nice that the older boys could work more independently, but at the same time they still loved being involved in the hands-on stuff the best.

Eventually I added a girl to the group, giving me students in K, 3, 6 & 8. While the two oldest would work independently, the 3rd grade boy loved to be involved in the lessons for his sister in K. My last boy began K when his sister was in 2nd, putting the older boys in 5th, 8th & 10th.

What was my #1 favorite way to integrate the K child into our studies? Using coloring pages. Even the older children enjoyed listening and discussing things while they kept their hands busy!

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July 13, 2009 by KellyH.

There’s a great deal of discussion among homeschooling families at this time of year about filling in the “gaps” left by a curriculum–or if a curriculum will leave gaps in a child’s education. With that in mind, I’d like to address three things about educational gaps: what they are, how they can be filled and how they can be avoided.

What is a Gap?

First we need to address what a gap is–after all, you can’t fix something if you don’t know it’s broke.

Some parents feel a gap happens when their child doesn’t know something that another (younger or older) child knows. Some parents base their “gap knowledge” on the Scope & Sequence of the public school system, and yet others use the Scope & Sequence of the curriculum they are thinking of switching to next year. The basic flaw in each of these thoughts is “comparison.”

If you are comparing your child to a friend’s child, you’ll find gaps. Perhaps your friend raised tadpoles/frogs and you didn’t. Your friend’s child will understand the life cycle of the frog in great detail, while your child may not be able to remember the word metamorphosis. But, there will be things your child knows, like the names of all the cloud formations, which your friend’s child won’t have a clue about. Not every fourth grade child knows their state’s history. Just because someone else taught something in sixth grade doesn’t mean you have to… you can teach it in fifth, or even in third if you want!

If you’re comparing curricula you’ll find many don’t match up, which leaves perceived gaps in the education of the child being taught. Why don’t they match up? Because everyone thinks their Scope & Sequence is best. Most are based on years of research and study by the author(s) of the curriculum. The curriculum is then written to be used from K through 12th grade, with no interruptions. If used this way, there will be no gaps, because everything in the Scope & Sequence will be introduced, taught, and reviewed eventually.

If you are following the Scope & Sequence of a specific publisher, you should be using their curriculum, too. After all, there is no better way to meet all of the objectives than to use the same curriculum. What? You don’t want to use their curriculum? Then why follow their Scope & Sequence? There is a better way!

So, what is a gap? It is a perceived lack of knowledge in a particular subject, or multiple subjects. The question must then be asked, “Does my child really have gaps, or will I be teaching that material at a later date?” To what, or whom, are you comparing your child?

How Can a Gap Be Filled?

Let’s say you feel there is a gap. How can you fill it? This will take work on your part. First, you must decide where your child is lacking. You have to decide what your child should know at this point in his or her life. You’ll also want to decide on basic milestones for the rest of their schooling. When do you want your child to learn about the 50 States, or the Civil War? In what grade should they know the water cycle, erosion, or land formations? When should your child be able to write a research paper? When will you teach exponents?

One way to figure all of this out is to obtain a variety of Scope & Sequences. Lay them out, side-by-side, and see how they compare. Use some sheets of loose-leaf paper (one for each year your child has left in school) to write down major topics you wish to study each year, or goals/objectives you wish to meet. You may decide to follow one of the Scope & Sequences, or you may put them all away and go with your own ideas.  Whatever you decide to do, get it written down. By having each year on a separate sheet of paper, you can spread them out and get a good visual of what you want to teach. You’ll also be able to see if you’re missing anything.

Congratulations! You’ve just written your own personalized Scope & Sequence!

Now look through the curriculum you’ll be using next year. Does it meet your needs? Will you be teaching what you want your child to learn next year? If you feel something is missing, check the Scope & Sequence of the curriculum. Was that topic taught last year, before you started using the curriculum? Will it be taught next year?

You may wish to adjust your personalized Scope & Sequence to allow for flexibility in teaching, specifically if certain subjects will be taught the following year. Or, you may wish to have your child do a short study on the topics you feel he or she should know already, to get them caught up with the curriculum. Either way, don’t stress! Curriculum is a tool, to be used as you see fit. It’s not set in stone–if it were, you wouldn’t be changing curricula.

How Can a Gap Be Avoided?

This will also take work on your part, but the good news is that most of that work is already finished! If you’ve created a personalized Scope & Sequence, as mentioned above, all you need to do is refer to it throughout the year to be sure all the objectives are being met. If you are following a Scope & Sequence from a specific company, you can refer to that throughout the year as well.

What if your curriculum just isn’t working for your family? What if your kinesthetic learner is struggling to get through a textbook? What if your child can’t seem to sit still long enough to fill in all of the blanks? What if you don’t like the world view of your current curriculum? Then, obviously, you’ll be switching–and you’re bound to notice gaps, either in what you’ve been using or in what you’re about to use. Don’t worry! Take out your personalized Scope & Sequence and make adjustments to the curriculum or to your teaching timetable.

The best way to avoid gaps is to be in complete control. Isn’t that why you’re homeschooling–to control your child’s education?  Chances are good your child does not have gaps. You just haven’t gotten to that objective yet.

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July 13, 2009 by KellyH.

Check out the review I just posted about a neat Ancient History resource from Figures in Motion:

Famous Figures of Ancient Times

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